Rapper Macklemore and R&B singer Frank Ocean have been accused of using a ‘gay agenda’ in a bid to increase their spotlight and expand their audience. Rappers Lord Jamar of legendary hip-hop group Brand Nubian and R.A. the Rugged Man hit out at the two in respective interviews.

Speaking to VladTV, Lord Jamar explained that he differentiates between “hip-hop” and “rap,” saying that while the former is “the music of the have-nots” and centred on a message, the latter is a consumerist vie for fame and money, and thus, he believes, friendly towards gay people.

“Rap is gay-friendly, rap is rich people-friendly,” Lord Jamar said. “You know what I mean? It speaks for ‘haves’, whereas hip-hop speaks for the have-nots. So within a lot of that money culture…there’s a lot of people with money that happen to be homosexual.”

Jamar implied that Macklemore’s anti-homophobia lyrics such as those in his collaboration with Ryan Lewis, Same Love, are disingenuous and a ploy to ingratiate himself with higher-ups in music, fashion and other industries.

Jamar continued his comments by explaining that Macklemore’s ‘gay agenda’ is part of a larger agenda being employed by white artists to take over what is traditionally black music, likening white people to expatriates in the world of hip-hop and not full citizens.

Meanwhile, Rugged Man, also speaking to Vlad TV, addressed Jamar’s comments, saying he agrees that whites are “guests in the house of hip-hop” and that he feels Macklemore and Odd Future member Frank Ocean are “using that popular political agenda to move their careers forward.”

“Homosexuality, not just in hip-hop, in the world, is the hot topic, you know?” said Rugged Man, explaining that much like politicians using a pro-gay marriage stance or targeting certain racial demographics to increase votes, artists use a gay-friendly image to increase fame.

“Frankie Ocean…okay, you came out the closet, but it’s a week before your album dropped,” he said. “It’s a political campaign…the timing was strategically placed…because a big percentage of the entertainment industry and media is run by the homosexual community.”

Rugged Man said that while there was nothing inherently wrong with having a ‘pro-gay’ stance, he lamented the fact that it can be exploited by artists looking for an easier path to fame and that it was not a radical stance to take considering the current socio-political zeitgeist.

Earlier this year, Macklemore was the subject of a Twitter rant by gay rapper Le1f, who accused the Thrift Shop rapper of co-opting the struggle of a group to which he himself does not belong and profiting from it.